Cartonisation refers to the industrial method of packing products into cardboard boxes to safeguard them during transportation and storage. This practice is prevalent in industries such as food, pharmaceuticals, and consumer goods, where packaging is essential for protecting merchandise throughout the supply chain.
What Types of Cartonisation Exist?
Several cartonisation methods are available, depending on a company’s post-production logistics processes and the types of items being packed:
- Manual Cartonisation: This method is used for small batches or items that are challenging to handle with machinery. In this approach, operators construct the cartons and place the products inside.
- Semi-Automatic Cartonisation: Here, machines form and assemble the boxes, while goods are inserted manually.
- Automatic Cartonisation: This fully automated process includes carton assembly, product insertion, and final sealing. It is commonly utilized in large industries that require high-speed and efficient packaging.
How Does Cartonisation Work?
The cartonisation process generally follows these steps:
- Carton Forming: Flat cardboard boxes are unfolded and assembled, remaining open at the top.
- Product Insertion: Items are placed inside the box, either manually or automatically. Digitalisation, supported by a warehouse management system like Easy WMS, facilitates error-free picking.
- Closing and Sealing: Boxes are closed and secured with glue, tape, or staples to protect the contents.
- Labelling and Sorting: Finally, boxes are labelled for easy identification and organization during storage or transport.
Automated systems utilize sensors and cameras to monitor quality, ensuring that each box is correctly formed, sealed, and labelled.
What Benefits Does Cartonisation Have?
Cartonisation offers numerous advantages for companies and their supply chains:
- Product Protection: Cartons safeguard items from physical damage and adverse external conditions (e.g., humidity) during storage and transport.
- Space Optimisation: Using appropriately sized boxes reduces wasted space, allowing for higher cargo volumes and fewer shipments.
- Reduced Transport Costs: Maximizing transport efficiency lowers fuel expenses. Additionally, optimizing space inside boxes minimizes the risk of damage, reducing returns and associated costs.
- Easier Handling: Packing products in boxes simplifies handling and allows companies to utilize automatic equipment such as conveyors. Robotic systems are particularly effective for accelerating e-commerce fulfillment.
- Streamlined Inventory and Picking Processes: Packaging items in labelled and barcoded cardboard boxes enhances stock tracking and boosts productivity in storage and picking operations. Techniques like wave picking expedite order processing by grouping tasks based on zones, timing, or priority.
- Improved Sustainability: Cardboard is recyclable and biodegradable, making cartonisation an environmentally friendly option. It helps businesses adhere to sustainability regulations and best practices.
In summary, cartonisation enhances operational efficiency, reduces costs, and provides environmental benefits, making it essential for supply chain competitiveness.
Examples of Companies Using Cartonisation
Various organizations across multiple industries leverage cartonisation for packaging their goods. Here are some examples:
- Nestlé: As one of the largest food companies globally, Nestlé employs cartonisation to package cereals, chocolates, and other food products.
- Unilever: This multinational company, known for its food and consumer goods, uses cartonisation for packaging detergents,
- IKEA: The Swedish multinational employs cartonisation to package furniture, home goods, components, and accessories.
- Coca-Cola: In the beverage industry, Coca-Cola uses cartonisation to package bottles and cans on its production lines, allowing the company to group multiple units into cardboard boxes for distribution to retailers.
Beyond packaging efficiency, cartonisation is valued for its versatility and sustainability; as cardboard is recyclable, it helps reduce organizations’ environmental impact.